Building material



JOSEPH AUGUSTE BOURDARIAT, OF

PARIS, AND MICHEL DIET, 0F VAUCRESSON, FRANCE.

BUILDING MATERIAL.

N 0 Drawing.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 29, 1921.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

Serial No. 456,755.

(GRANTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE ACT OF MARCH 3, 1921, 41 STAT. L,1313.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOSEPH Aocosrn BOURDARIAT, a citizen of theRepublic of France, residing at 7 7 Boulevard Malesherbes, Paris, Seine,France, and MICHEL DIET, a citizen of the Republic of France, residingat Vaucresson, Seine et Oise, France, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Building Material, (for which I have filed application in.France April 9, 1919, Patent No. 507,835; Belgium Jan. 81, 1921, SerialNo. 22,117; Holland Feb. 4, 1921, Serial No. 17,947, and Denmark Marchat, 1921, Serial No. 560,) of which the following is a specification.

It has often been proposed to use seawrack, that is to say the marineplant known under the botanical name of Zostera in buildingconstruction. Itsinsulating properties, together with itsincombustibility and imputrescibility and its insect destroyingproperties render it a valuable product for building purposes.

Up to the present the wrack has been used in its natural state, beinginserted in a sheath. By reason of its elasticity the wrackdisintegrates, its fibres being apt to separate easily one from theother. On the other hand the sheath, which is an indispensable elementis relatively costly; it is therefore desirable to dispense with it incertain case The present invention also contemplates the use ofsea-wreck but introduces an im provement in the manner of such use, inthat the sea-wrack instead of being used in its natural state issubjected to an agglomerating process, which, while connecting thefibres together, at the same time leaves air intervals forming cellswhich contribute to give it good insulating properties.

The characteristic feature of this invention resides therefore in thefact of agglomerating the wrack. This agglomeration can be efi'ected invarious ways. The wrack thu agglomerated in available in the form ofpanels, tiles or plates which can be used to form the covering forwalls, ceilings, partitions and for other uses.

In order to agglomerate the wreck any material may be used asagglomerant which has the property of binding the fibres together. Byway of example one may mention cement, plaster, pitch, resins, animaland vegetable glues, silicates. But preferably, the adhesive materialextracted from marine plants is employed. The wrack is mixed with thismaterial in variable proportions, say for example, 15 to 25 kilogrammesof the agglutinant material to 100 kilogrammes of dry wrack and thewhole is formed into any suitable shape by means of molds. On leavingthe mold, the agglomerated wrack is of fiat shape of variable thicknesswhich is out up to form panels, tiles or blocks. The finished productmay furthermore be given a cylindrical or other shape in cases where itis desired to form heator cold-insulating coverings. Again, the panels,tiles or blocks can be enclosed in a sheath of paper, textile materialor the like, thus facilitating their handling and their introductioninto sheaths or frames. Owing to the rigidity thus imparted to the wrackby reason of its agglomeration, the panels can easily be nailed inplace.

' Finally when the tiles or panels are applied as a covering to a wall,partition or ceiling they can be fixed, as already stated by nailing, orthey can be covered by a facing of wood, fabric, paper or other suitablematerial.

l/Ve claim:

1. An improved building material consisting of sea-wrack (Zostera) inits natu ral condition and which has been agglomerated.

2. An improved building material consisting of sea-wrack in its naturalcondition and mixed with an agglutinant.

3. An improved building material consisting of sea-wrack in its naturalcondition and mixed with an agglutinant extracted from marine plants.

4. An improved building material consisting of 100 parts sea-wrack mixedwith 15 to 25 parts of agglutinant.

5. An improved building material consisting of 100 parts of sea-wreckmixed with 15 to 25 parts of agglutinant extracted from marine plants.

6. An improved building material consisting of sea-wrack in its naturalcondition and mixed with an agglutinant and pressed to T ing its naturalinsoluble mineral and other substances usually present, substantially asdescribed. V

8. An improved building material con- 5 sisting of agglomeratedsea-Wrack containing its natural mineral and other substances usuallypresent, mixed with an agglutinant.

9. An improved building material consisting of sea-Wrack containing itsnatural mineral and other substances usually pres- 1o ent, admixed withan adhesive extraction from marine plants, substantially as described.

i JOSEPH AUGUSTE BOURDARIAT.

MICHEL DIET.

